The One Who Protects Her
by orangebaby
Summary: A photobook shoot for Japan's Top Twenty Hottest Celebrities goes awry when half the men want the attention of one girl and she's too worried how loose her bikini top feels. Who gets to protect her this time? Rated M for good measure.


Disclaimer: Skip Beat! is not mine. If it were I'd be lucky.

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"So, Mogami-san, are you up for it?"

"Ano . . . are you sure I'm included in this list? I haven't officially debuted yet, I didn't know so many people know me already! It's just . . . I'm just a little shocked."

The person at the other end, who introduced herself as Mizushima Kaoru, laughed earnestly. "Don't worry about it, Mogami-san. You're abuzz on everyone's lips with Box R doing excellently in the ratings. People are also very surprised when they discover that you were the one playing Mio in Dark Moon and the angel in Fuwa Sho's PV. They can't wait to know more about you!"

Kyoko felt her face heat up. She couldn't believe it! People liked her! They liked her!

"Hai! Arigatou gozaimasu! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" she blurted into the phone with immense gratitude, bowing to the air.

Mizushima Kaoru chuckled on the end. "So then, we'll give you a call sometime this week to let you know the date and venue of the shoot. We're looking forward to working with you, Mogami-san. Good-bye!"

"Thank you again, Mizushima-san! Good-bye!"

Kyoko flipped her phone close and set it on the table with trembling fingers. Slowly, she brought her hands against her face and felt its heat surging through her palms. She, the boring, no-sex-appeal trash girl, was number 17 of Japan's Top Twenty Hottest Celebrities?

"Yatta!" she exclaimed, her heart fluttering in joy as she pranced around the LoveMe room with glittery eyes. In her mind she pictured herself wearing a puffy-sleeved princess gown seated among flowers and animals. She could almost hear the birds chirping now as she twirled around some more, pretending to be a visiting human princess in an enchanted forest ruled by the king and queen of fairies.

"Oh I hope they make me wear a dress like that!" she said out loud, stopping in her tracks as reality dawned on her. Her shoulders slumped immediately, remembering the magazine Mizushima-san said they'd be shooting for.

Pixie was for the most part a fashion magazine she had often seen girls in her class read way back in middle school. Here and there, however, it featured idol interviews and gossip. And once every year—Kyoko blushed deeply—the magazine was infamous for coming up with a list of Japan's Top Twenty Hottest Celebrities. The celebs who made the list—actors, models, singers, hosts—were nominated and voted for online. Those who made to the top twenty were featured on a separate photobook sold together with the magazine for a special price.

Kyoko allowed herself to remember her classmates' reactions whenever the photobook came out. It was usually a big deal—there were kicking and screaming and hours and hours of loud gossip. Kyoko balled her fists as she felt a vein protrude on her temple. Those were the times when she was left to clean their classroom alone because none of the girls would help her, too immersed with that stupid list.

Yes, Kyoko had always thought that a list ranking people solely based on their physical appearance was egotistical and foolish, but to _actually _be on the list was an entirely different feeling. She felt a little annoyed at herself for the ironic hypocrisy she found herself in, but she didn't exactly ask to be on this list, did she? People nominated her! People voted for her! That was something to be happy about, and she didn't want to overanalyze that kind of happiness to the point of feeling the opposite emotion. She wanted to enjoy the fact that she was liked by the public, that she wasn't as boring and as unsexy as Sho had made her believe all this time. Suddenly, the thought of his name threw a boulder on her fairy-filled imagination.

Kyoko stopped mid-twirl, horrified. _Oh god no!_

Ren fought hard not to grimace as he held the list on his hands. Yashiro was standing close, and Ren knew if he betrayed his calm demeanor, Yashiro would immediately erupt into a teasing and fangirl rampage.

The fact that he was on the list came as a no-brainer. He had topped it for the last three years and had always said yes to the photobook shoot. It wasn't for his vanity. He saw little worth in flamboyantly showing the world how godly he looked without a shirt. He had said yes as a thank you to the fans who had shown him unwavering support throughout his career.

Normally, Ren didn't care who else made it to the list. He would go the shoot, pose for his rounds, talk a little to those who were in his acquaintance and then leave immediately. But now, knowing that _she _would be there, knowing how sultry the shoot's theme was every year, knowing how many men would be attracted to her vulnerability and freshness, knowing she wouldn't know if they did, Ren was sure there was no way he was letting her out of his sight. Especially . . . especially that Fuwawas going to be there as well.

Sho ran his thumb against his lower lip, unsure of what he was feeling right now after a quick perusal of the list. Shoko had been weirdly reluctant in showing it to him. He wouldn't have minded, but she had a strange look in her eyes. It was the look that meant there was potential trouble.

_Trouble, huh? _Sho mused, his gaze fluctuating on two particular names.

"Sho, I think this is a bad idea." Shoko interrupted his thoughts. "I can come up with a legitimate excuse why you can't do the shoot."

Of course Shoko knew it was a longshot for Sho to agree to that. The boy had always looked forward to the list, every year wanting desperately to trump Ren Tsuruga from the number one spot. Sho had consistently been number two, and it annoyed him to no end. Now that Kyoko was suddenly on the list as well, and only after a year of making it into showbiz, Shoko was sure there was no way this shoot wasn't going to produce all kinds of trouble. But still she hoped Sho would think logi—

"No way in hell you're going to do that," Sho muttered in between clenched teeth, cutting her musings. "I am going to that shoot and show that boring woman how stupid she is for thinking she could defeat me in my own turf!"—scoff—"at the end of the day, she'll be groveling for me to take her back."

Shoko frowned at his litany of pride. Although there was genuine confidence in the way Sho declared that Kyoko was still his, Shoko knew that was entirely up to Kyoko. And the way things were going so well for her, Shoko was afraid Sho would be the one groveling on the painful end. The kid didn't know what to do with his feelings for the girl. Sure he said he thought she was plain and had no sex appeal, but the fact that he was always so affected with things related to her made Shoko believe even Sho was starting to doubt his words himself.

Shoko felt the first signs of a headache, a sure warning that something was going to go awfully wrong during that shoot. After all, this wasn't just an ordinary photo op for an ordinary magazine. This was one of the most anticipated photobooks in Japan, and people always made a big deal out of those who were in it.

She was also worried about the racy themes of this book. Every year's theme was different, and the magazine always had their models wear daring wardrobe. The other year, the theme was "amazon," so the models were made to wear tribal-inspired clothing. Last year's theme was "greek deities," which then had the celebrities wear tunics and drapes that left little to the readers' imagination—much to the delectation of the female and male fans.

Shoko stole a glance at Sho and shook her head inconspicuously. He was still complaining while he wasn't number one and why Kyoko was on the list _this _soon. Shoko pictured the Kyoko she secretly saw in Box R in a sexy outfit and sighed. _Oh, Sho. I'm afraid you might be eating your words soon._

Mizushima Kaoru looked at the magazine spreads of their past issues and tapped her pencil rhythmically on her lips. She was pleased with the turnout of celebrities this year. _So many exciting new faces_.

What was left now to decide on was the concept. They creative brainstorming had come up with themes that were already used up: beach bodies, greek gods, jungle, anime—why couldn't they think of something new?

Kaoru bit her lip and took in the view of the city from her office window. The sky was dark and starless. _There are so many newcomers this year. The concept should be as fresh and as edgy as most of them are._

She looked away and started to pace the room thinking of something fresh and edgy. She snatched the list from her table and looked at the names one by one, hoping to be inspired by the thought of each of their faces. Then she started counting.

_Well, well, what do we have here? An equal number of boys and girls._

Almost subconsciously, she shifted her gaze on the only picture frame on her desk. It was a picture of her and her boyfriend Keitaro on their first trip to Seidan. Then suddenly, just as the first lightning ignited the sky, it hit her.

_Perfect!_

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A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Two years since I last wrote. Now I realize what a long time it has been! I have been reading new fanfiction lately though, and I found a number of them soooo good that I just couldn't help but write one myself. The manga is also getting _really _good right now, so I wanted to keep myself entertained while waiting. Please review if you can.


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